My Last Duchess

    AQA
    GCSE

    The poem is a dramatic monologue set in the Italian Renaissance, spoken by the Duke of Ferrara to an envoy arranging his next marriage. The Duke displays a portrait of his late wife, criticizing her indiscriminate friendliness and lack of specific appreciation for his 'gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name'. Through his speech, he inadvertently reveals his own tyrannical nature, extreme jealousy, and the implication that he ordered her death ('I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together'). The poem concludes with the Duke resuming business negotiations, treating his new bride-to-be as another object to be acquired, paralleling a bronze statue of Neptune taming a sea-horse. This text serves as a psychological study of power, control, and the objectification of women.

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    Objectives
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    Exam Tips
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    Pitfalls
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    Key Terms
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    Mark Points

    What You Need to Demonstrate

    Key skills and knowledge for this topic

    • AO1: Sustain a critical line of argument regarding the Duke's psychopathy, hubris, and the silencing of the Duchess, linking these traits to the theme of power.
    • AO2: Analyse the tension between the rigid iambic pentameter/rhyming couplets (control) and the use of enjambment/caesura (uncontrollable passion/arrogance).
    • AO3: Integrate understanding of the Victorian patriarchal context disguised within the Italian Renaissance setting; explore Browning's critique of aristocratic entitlement.
    • AO1 (Comparison): Establish perceptive connections between the domestic tyranny in this text and the political or natural power presented in the second chosen poem (e.g., Ozymandias, London).

    Example Examiner Feedback

    Real feedback patterns examiners use when marking

    • "You have identified the rhyme scheme, but you must explain how the strict couplets reflect the Duke's desire for control."
    • "Avoid treating the poems separately; use connective phrases to weave the comparison into every paragraph."
    • "Your context is accurate but 'bolted on'; integrate the Victorian views on gender directly into your analysis of the Duchess's silence."
    • "Excellent selection of the 'Neptune' metaphor; now compare this symbol of ownership with a symbol from your second poem."

    Marking Points

    Key points examiners look for in your answers

    • AO1: Sustain a critical line of argument regarding the Duke's psychopathy, hubris, and the silencing of the Duchess, linking these traits to the theme of power.
    • AO2: Analyse the tension between the rigid iambic pentameter/rhyming couplets (control) and the use of enjambment/caesura (uncontrollable passion/arrogance).
    • AO3: Integrate understanding of the Victorian patriarchal context disguised within the Italian Renaissance setting; explore Browning's critique of aristocratic entitlement.
    • AO1 (Comparison): Establish perceptive connections between the domestic tyranny in this text and the political or natural power presented in the second chosen poem (e.g., Ozymandias, London).

    Examiner Tips

    Expert advice for maximising your marks

    • 💡Allocate 45 minutes total: 5 minutes planning the comparative points, 40 minutes writing.
    • 💡Structure the response by theme (e.g., 'Arrogance', 'Control of Nature', 'Objectification') rather than analysing Poem A then Poem B.
    • 💡Memorise 3-4 'universal' quotes from potential partner poems (e.g., Ozymandias, London, Checking Out Me History) to ensure flexibility.
    • 💡Ensure the analysis of the printed poem (My Last Duchess) is exhaustive; use the text in front of you to secure high AO2 marks.

    Common Mistakes

    Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

    • Conflating Robert Browning's voice with the persona of the Duke (failing to recognise the dramatic monologue form).
    • Describing the narrative of the murder rather than analysing the methods used to present the Duke's controlling nature.
    • Treating the comparison as two separate mini-essays rather than weaving connections throughout the response.
    • Asserting the Duchess's infidelity as fact, rather than recognizing it as the Duke's paranoid and jealous perspective.

    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    Likely Command Words

    How questions on this topic are typically asked

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